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Last updated on November 19, 2021
When gamers think of strong items in Destiny, they usually think of exotic items. These weapons have special characteristics that can enable or improve particular play styles. With that said, let’s look at ten of the best and most-used weapons you can find in Destiny 2!
- Chroma Rush: Auto rifle
- Ignition Code: Grenade launcher
- Fatebringer: Hand cannon
- Riskrunner: Submachine gun
- Empty Vessel: Grenade launcher
- PLUG ONE.1: Fusion rifle
- Tractor Cannon: Shotgun
- Witherhoard: Grenade launcher
- Occluded Finality: Sniper rifle
- Founded Verdict: Shotgun
Many strong, diverse weapons are needed in a first-person shooter like Destiny 2 to deal with any threat that comes your way. So, what makes these the best weapons to find, and how do you get your hands on them?
How Are They The Best Weapons?
Destiny 2 features a massive and ever–expanding weapon arsenal, which may leave players feeling overwhelmed. But, among all the options, there are a few standout weapons in Destiny 2.
Exotic weapons in Destiny have long been among the most sought-after equipment in the game, dating back to Destiny 1. Questlines, purchasing exotic weapons from Xur, completing campaign tasks, and even chance drops are all ways to get these exotic weapons. Each has its manner of being discovered, as well as its own set of benefits. Below are ten of Destiny 2’s greatest weapons, where to acquire them, and the ideal use case for each weapon is PvP (Player vs. Player) or PvE (Player vs. Environment).
1. Chroma Rush
It is one of the few powerful kinetic auto rifles in the game right now, and because the rapid–fire frame archetype is currently good in both PvE and PvP, it’s a weapon you shouldn’t overlook. Most of its perks are best for PvE, but it may also be a good pick for the Crucible with the appropriate perks.
When it comes to the Kinetic weapon category, Season of the Splicer had quickly established a preference. As a prize for engaging in Override mode, you can get Chroma Rush. The Chroma Rush has an incredible 720 rounds per minute, as well as good handling and stability. Range may be a priority for Guardians, but improving Handling and Stability will be beneficial as well.
The best options are PvE, Hammer-Forged Rifling, Tactical Mag, and Subsistence or Feeding Frenzy with Rampage or Wellspring. On each kill, these perks offer the weapon a mix of excellent range, reload speed mitigation, and either increased damage or increased ability regen. Heating Up, Rampage, or Kill Clip makes the Chroma Rush highly successful at killing several players in a short period in PvP, assuming you can get an initial kill to start your perks rolling.
2. Ignition Code
This kinetic special grenade launcher has rapidly become one of my favorite Destiny 2 weapons of all time, thanks to its diverse set of bonuses that are both entertaining and useful. It shines brightest in PvE, but it’s also a great PvP grenade launcher for those who like to employ energy weapons as their primary weapon.
On this weapon, there are a slew of fantastic PvE bonuses. Hard Launch, Blinding Grenades, Slideshot, and Vorpal Weapon are my personal favorites since these four perks make the Ignition Code a great weapon for Nightfalls and raids.
Blinding Grenades stuns swarms of opponents and makes them easier to kill, Ambitious Assassin reloads the grenade launcher every time you slide, and Vorpal Weapon strengthens the weapon against Champions and monsters.
Spike Grenades is a decent alternative if you prefer more direct damage. Ambitious Assassin lets you load two grenades into the launcher after kills, and One for All is fantastic for its damage boost. Demolitionist is also available for those with grenade–focused builds.
Hard Launch, Spike Grenades, and Quickdraw make the Ignition Code excellent for one–shot direct hit kills in PvP, and if you have Thresh, you’ll receive some super energy as a reward. If you want a launcher version that is good against Guardian supers, you may change out Thresh for Vorpal Weapon. The Ignition Code can be gained via Umbral Engrams or dropped by completing the Override action.
3. Fatebringer
The legendary Fatebringer returns in Destiny 2 with a mix of classic and new bonuses that both PvE and PvP players will enjoy. Smallbore, Steady Rounds, Rewind Rounds, and Frenzy combine for a lethal combination in PvE, allowing you to shoot damage–boosted rounds indefinitely as long as you don’t miss.
You could also use Explosive Rounds with Firefly to imitate the original Fatebringer’s static roll, which is quite effective. For the improved range in PvP, Accurized Rounds should be used instead of Steady Rounds, and Kill Clip or Opening Shot should be used instead of Frenzy or Firefly. Because the bullets do not have damage fall-off at extended ranges, Explosive Rounds are a good alternative to Rewind Rounds. After completing raid encounters in the Vault of Glass, you will be rewarded with the Fatebringer as a drop.
4. Riskrunner
Riskrunner is one of the most gratifying and electrifying firearms in Destiny 2, and it’s also the finest Submachine Gun. The “Arc Conductor” perk, which makes players immune to Arc damage, is a key reason this rifle is so strong in PvE. Riskrunner is an excellent pick for attacks and raids that deal a lot of Arc damage.
The rifle grows more steady and powerful, making it ideal for wiping out hordes of people.
Riskrunner is gained by an exotic engram, which may be found in different Destiny 2 activities as a random exotic drop. Riskrunner is an early Destiny 2 exotic that’s still enjoyable to employ in crowd-control scenarios when opponents surround you.
You must first finish the first Shadowkeep story mission before you can begin. It’s worth contacting Banshee-44 in the Tower and taking up the Pain and Gain quest from him if you can tolerate being away from the eerie Moon for five minutes. In Destiny 2, this weapon is one of the most accessible Exotics to get. It’s a fast-firing SMG that can chain lightning between foes and absorb Arc damage, making it useful in various scenarios.
5. Empty Vessel
The Empty Vessel is nearly identical to the Ignition Code in every manner except that it is a Solar energy weapon rather than a kinetic one.
It’s an excellent weapon to bring into Nightfalls with many Solar–shielded opponents, and it’s also ideal for PvE Warmind Cell builds because it can generate Warmind Cells if you have the Wrath of Rasputin armor mod enabled. With the appropriate perks, it can be successful in PvP, just like Ignition Code.
For great all-around usefulness and damage against Champions and monsters in PvE, I recommend Hard Launch, Blinding Grenades, Ambitious Assassin, and Vorpal Weapon (One for All and Demolitionist are also great options in the final perk column too).
PvP players should use Hard Launch, Spike Grenades, Quickdraw, and either Thresh or Snapshot Sights for guaranteed one-hit kills and boosts to super regen or faster aiming. Completed strikes drop the Empty Vessel at random. Turning in Vanguard Tokens to Commander Zavala at The Tower also gives you a chance to earn one.
6. PLUG ONE.1
PLUG ONE.1 is a resurrected Arc energy fusion weapon from the original Destiny, and it’s a beast with the appropriate perk rolls. It’s a fantastic weapon to bring into Nightfalls (and even some raids), and it can also be a formidable shotgun counter in PvP if used correctly.
In PvE, Extended Barrel, Liquid Coils, Feeding Frenzy, and Reservoir Burst allow you to eviscerate groups of enemies by killing one of them with the high-damage first shot in your magazine quickly reloading thanks to Reservoir Burst’s explosive effects, killing all of the other enemies and procuring several Feeding Frenzy stacks.
You can then continue the chain by killing another opponent with your next full magazine Reservoir Burst shot. Extended Barrel, in particular, increases the weapon’s range and aids in keeping it stable with each shot.
Extended Barrels, Accelerated Coils, Quickdraw, and Reservoir Burst, offer you a powerful opening shot in PvP that will not only one-hit-kill Guardians at close range but also go off quicker owing to Accelerated Coils.
If you enjoy sliding and benefit from the perk’s charge time decrease, you may swap Reservoir Burst for Kickstart. If you’d rather switch to the weapon anytime someone with a shotgun comes at you, Backup Plan is also a feasible option. Three weapons are exclusive to Nightfall’s rotation, including the PLUG ONE.1 (the weapon that drops from Nightfalls changes weekly). If you wish to farm for it, go to Nightfalls during the week when PLUG ONE.1 drops are active.
7. Tractor Cannon
Tractor Cannon has to be one of Destiny 2‘s coolest-looking and goofiest guns, if nothing else. This shotgun is a powerful weapon that can drive foes back, has a long-range, and provides one of the most distinctive, unusual weapon sensations. It’s fantastic for PvE, especially when players find themselves in a tight spot.
Even though the Tractor Cannon has been in Destiny 2 since the beginning, it is still a must-have weapon. This unique Exotic Shotgun may assist single players and teams in covering any damage disparities in endgame activities, regardless of player expertise.
The Tractor Cannon should be your first choice when looking for a Heavy when farming for Anarchy or if you want to enhance the damage of your entire team.
In PvP, the tractor cannon is fantastic when used correctly. It will help if you don’t go all out and use up all of your ammo immediately. You wait for groups, or even better, for folks with supers to come at you. As a result, they will be completely disabled. So, it is dependent on how you want to utilize it. Tractor Cannon is gained by an exotic engram, which may be received through different Destiny 2 activities as random exotic drops. I’d recommend that you go farm one if you don’t have one already.
8. Witherhoard
When it comes to PvE, Witherhoard is one of the finest Kinetic weapons in the game. In Destiny 2, it’s also one of, if not the greatest, Grenade Launchers.
Furthermore, obtaining this weapon is incredibly straightforward. All players have to acquire the required resources to purchase it at the Tower’s Exotic Kiosk. The Vault is directly opposite the street.
The materials required for a Witherhoard are as follows:
- 1 Ascendant Shard
- 1 Exotic Cipher
- 100,000 Glimmer
- 150 Glacial Starworts
This Kinetic slot weapon caused quite a stir at the start of the season in June 2020, with rumors that proved to be true claiming that it delivers a significant amount of damage. Those seeking to profit from this one-of-a-kind Grenade Launcher should pick it up and work their way through the Exotic catalyst.
Witherhoard is a single-shot Grenade Launcher that specializes in AOE damage. It’s one of the most effective tools for clearing crowds, and it can even inflict significant damage to bosses and minibosses. While Witherhoard is mostly a utility item in PvP, it does deliver some significant damage in PvE. Nonetheless, it functions similarly in both situations because it is best utilized with your other weapons.
9. Occluded Finality
The Occluded Finality is a powerful Arc sniper rifle with a deep zoom magnification and an aggressive frame. It’s one of the snappiest sniper rifles introduced in recent months and a great PvP sniper.
It also has some strong PvE benefits, particularly in terms of boss damage. For PvE, use Vorpal Weapon with Corkscrew Rifling, Ricochet Rounds, and either No Distractions (to avoid flinching from advertisements) or Auto–Loading Holster (if you’re using heavy weapons and supers for monster DPS).
These perks provide a flat increase to various stats while also making it easier to strike boss shots, reducing reload time, and increasing damage–per–shot versus bosses. In most PvP situations, I would swap the Auto-Loading Holster for Snapshot Sights and the Vorpal Weapon for Opening Shot. In PvP, you could also use No Distractions, and Vorpal Weapon may be a powerful counter against Guardians in their super. Playing in the Iron Banner and handing in Iron Banner Tokens to Lord Saladin at The Tower will grant you the Occluded Finality.
10. Founded Verdict
The Found Verdict is a returning Vault of Glass weapon from the first Destiny, and it has some incredible PvE and PvP benefits in Destiny 2.
My PvE recommendations are Smallbore, Appended Mag, Rewind Rounds, and Vorpal Weapon or One–Two Punch. These bonuses increase the shotgun’s range and magazine capacity, and Rewind Rounds assures that you won’t have to reload until your victim is dead.
For PvE rolls, the range is less important because you usually want to go right up in the face of a powerful adversary and inflict as much damage as possible as fast as possible before being boss-stomped away. I recommend Full Choke, Assault Mag, Auto–Loading Holster, and Vorpal Weapon.
Dive in on a powerful adversary and fire as many rounds as you can, then swap to another weapon to maintain high DPS, alternating back to the Found Verdict whenever the automated reload kicks in.
One–Two Punch is perfect for a melee combo build, while Vorpal Weapon is great for boss damage. For one-hit kills on opposing players while sliding in PvP, use Full Choke, Accurized Rounds, Slideshot, and Opening Shot.
As with any shotgun that instantly kills opponents in the Crucible, any roll on the Found Verdict aims to extend its range. The weapon’s basic range will be amazing, thanks to Full Choke and Accurized Rounds.
Slideshot and Opening Shot will neatly complete the package, providing stackable range, accuracy, and stability boost.
The Found Verdict is a weapon that may be obtained through the Vault of Glass raid, which is now open to all players.
Conclusion
These weapons may be tailored perfectly to your play style and may help consistently improve PvE and PvP results. Witch Queen, the latest DLC for Destiny 2, will be released in February 2022. That gives players plenty of time to absorb the present material, stock up on the greatest weaponry, and boost their light levels to their hearts’ delight.
For more info on the best video game weaponry, check out our article on Borderlands 3 weapons! And for info on how to customize your Destiny 2 experience, check out our article on Shaders!
